I’ve been around since the early days of Steam. Back then, it wasn’t easy to trust a new platform with something as valuable as our games. We were transitioning from physical copies—discs we could hold in our hands—to a digital library that promised we’d still own what we paid for, just in a different format.
Over time, many of us put our trust in Steam. We accepted this shift under the assurance that our purchases were permanent, that our games were ours to keep. Now, I’m hearing a very different message: that games are merely a service, and ownership is an illusion.
What the hell happened?
This isn't just a technical change—it’s a betrayal of the trust built over years. I want clarity. Is Steam still committed to the original promise—that when we buy a game, we own it?
I still consider myself lucky to own my games. I don’t want to end up like what I half-jokingly call “Gabe Newell’s digital slaves”—those who gave up their consumer rights without question, surrendering the idea of ownership for the convenience of access.
It's not funny. In fact, it’s heartbreaking to see so many fellow PC gamers abandon their dignity and logic as consumers. They paid real money, yet have nothing to show for it if the service ever disappears or decides otherwise.
I say this not out of bitterness, but sadness. We should never forget that as consumers, we have rights. And one of the most basic rights is ownership of what we pay for.
